Choki Traditional Art School

Location:	Thimphu, Bhutan
Category:	Education
Published:	21 August 2007
Progress:	24% funded

Rating:	38 Ratings

Choki Traditional Art School (CTAS) was established in 1999 with the dual objectives of educating those children who could not continue their formal education due to both financial and social reasons and to contribute to the preservation and promotion of the unique cultural heritage of Bhutan. It is a private not-for-profit institute which supports the disadvantaged and under privileged youth of Bhutan through self-sustaining program on skills development in the traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan.

The founder of the project is Dasho Choki Dorji. It was during his time that Dasho started the first painting school in Bhutan with the approval from Her Royal Highness Ashi Dechen Wangmo Wangchuck, then representative of His Majesty in the Ministry of Development in early 1970s.

The school offers general courses in traditional drawing, painting, sculpturing and wood carving. After 2nd year, students are given the option to pursue specialized courses in Thanka ( scroll, Debri painting (Fresco) and Patra (wood carving) based on their interest and aptitude. The full course is for six years. Both – theory and practical lessons – are properly integrated to develop the necessary skills and aptitude. The school also provides classes in basic English, maths and Dzongkha.

Other co-curricular activities such as games and sports, cultural activities, mask dances, Driglam Namzha (code of etiquettes) and SUPW (Socially useful & Productive Works) form an integral parts of the school program.

CTAS has been providing exclusively free education till 2006. From 2007 the school started charging a nominal school fee from students which, however covers only about 30% of the total operational cost. The remaining costs are borne by the school through senior students’ practical works and donations from well wishers. Over the last eight years, CTAS has trained more than 100 students. The school has so far produced eight graduates and all of them are employed.

Supporters (27):

• 
  G. Thamer
• 
  Gabriele A.
• 
  G. Krafzik
• 
  Julia T.
• 
  Joana B.
• 
  B. Brocks
• 
  Christian
  I.

• 
  H. Cramer
• 
  U. Knapp
• 
  P. breuer
• 
  M. Jünger
• 
  Piers K.
• 
  s. jans-ku–
  fus
• 
  J. Winckler

• 
  K. Moldenh–
  auer
• 
  G. Moldenh–
  auer
• 
  F. Moldenh–
  auer
• 
  r. fürll
• 
  Lilian b.
• 
  K. Reimpell
• 
  S. Hermann

• 
  H. v. Rech–
  enberg
• 
  M. Kunz
• 
  S. Breiden–
  bach
• 
  C. Stromer
• 
  I. Barth
• 1
  anonymous
  supporters

Advocates (3):

• 

  Peter J.

  M • Wien, Austria

  A very good project! We start a creativity club in Austria : www.newtalentsclub.org - that also wants to encourage creativity among youngsters. Did you know that you can sell handmade art worldwide with www.etsy.com ? Could be an opportunity to gain some money through that, too. Best regards Peter J.

• 

  V. Bagai

  M

  This is an essential project for self identity and self awareness for the Bhutanese people and children.

• 

  D. Bidwell

  M • Geneva, Switzerland

  Dedicated to the Himalayan region since 1969, I have felt a strong desire to help the poor people of the region. I spent a year, with my wife, as volunteers in Kathmandu, as Country Director for the International Executive Service Corps, working with the Nepal business sector, bringing expert volunteers to help. As a result, we then decided to start helping educate some of the poor children we met, and in ’97 set up an NGO, the 'Himalayan Childrens Foundation', in Nepal, to do so on a formal basis. Five years later, we formed a US foundation to further support our efforts. As Vice President and co-founder of the 'Himalayan Youth Foundation' in 2002 (a charitable 501 C 3 corporation in the USA), our total dedication and purpose is to educate poor children in the Himalayan region and provide them with the means for a productive life. We have chosen Nepal and Bhutan as the two countries we wish to help first. In Bhutan, a national objective calls for the maintenance of the country’s heritage and a key element of that is Budhist art. The 'Choki Traditional Art School' fully supports that objective and is currently training 67 boys to become expert painters and carvers in the Budhist tradition. We wish to advocate support of CTAS for a number of reasons: 1. It is educating and ultimately providing productive jobs to poor children by giving them a skill that is much in demand. Our first three graduates got immediate jobs on graduation last year. 2. The objectives of CTAS are completely in tune with the National Government’s objectives to maintain the traditional culture of the country. 3. The quality of the work of the students has been recognized nationally as the school has won three competitive bids to paint new government buildings plus more than ten other privately owned buildings. 4. The school is run by an outstanding family which financed the school’s startup for the first few years but now require help as the school has grown substantially. Our foundation, HYF, therefore wishes to help with the operating and capital expenses of the school and we need support from others in doing so. 5. A further objective we share with CTAS is to expand the school to admit girls. There are no facilities to do so at present but we have already started seeking capital funds to build the necessary facilities.

Visitors (3):

• 

  Julia T.

  28/F • Frankfurt, Germany

  In october 08 I visited the Choki Traditional Art School near Thimphu. I was really impressed. Sonam Choki the director of the school is such a great calm and friendly person, perfect for young students in my opinion. The school has trained more than 100 youths from all part of Bhutan, who were unable to obtain regular education due to social and financial difficulties. The school offers different courses in traditional drawing, painting, sculpturing and wood carvings. The school also provides basic knowledge in english, maths etc. Since 2006 the school offers complete free education with lodging and food opportunities. The future plans now are to include also female students (a new house specially for girls is building up at the moment), improve the quality of arts and products and providing other relevant courses and to give more training opportunities. It was a great experience for me to see this project and its development. Thank you Sonam Choki, you do a very good job and good luck for the future. Julia Triebold

• 

  Vico B.

  13/M • Berlin, Germany

  Ich habe letztes Jahr die Choki School besucht. Die Schule ist richtig cool und die Schüler lernen irre Sachen. Wir fanden die Malereien so schön, dass wir gleich ein paar gekauft haben. Man hat auch gesehen das im Land alles dekoriert ist und bemalt und aus Holz geschnitzt. Deshalb glaube ich, dass die Schüler bestimmt eine gute Arbeit kriegen werden.

• 

  Joana B.

  43/F • Berlin, Germany

  In the summer of 2006 I visited Choki Traditional Art School in Bhutan and ist principal Sonam Choki a few times. Her youngest brother Tashi just come back from his studies in Delhi and was our tour guide during a two week trip through Bhutan. In Thimphu we also got to know an elder brother, who had a craft shop and sold some of the students paintings and carvings, thus contributing substantially to the income of the school. My whole family, especially the children, loved the young students, who worked very skilfully at their Buddhist carvings and drawings. All over the country we could see that the traditional arts are very much alive and that young craftsmen are needed in every housing or temple construction, as the building law requires house owners to include traditional motives and materials in the construction. We were very impressed by the professional attitude and level of commitment of Sonam Choki, the charming, young school principle, whose family had built the school following their own initiative and using their own financial resources to help children from poor rural areas get a solid training, which not only enables them to support themselves in the future but also contribute to the continuity of Bhutanese culture. Children for a better world, a Munich NGO, for whom I run one children group decided to sponsor two scholarships for students last year and my husband and I have personally supported three other scholarships. Every transaction with Sonam has been not only professionally seen to, but also been accompanied by an enriching e-mail exchange.